A Very Bakehouse Kind of November

The Bakehouse oven is humming and we've got cookies galore — plus, a cookbook giveaway you’ll love.

Friends, hi!

My parents are in Texas this week and, bless them, they came ready to work. They’ve shown up in full project mode! I feel like they’ve gotten a full understanding of what a handful this old house in Bellville is. Luckily, they love a project (and me).

In a shocking twist of holiday enthusiasm, we’ve also already put up the Christmas tree. I know it’s early, some might say -it’s very early - but we’re calling it “extended twinkle season.” The garland is up, I’m figuring out extension cords, and I refuse to feel bad about it. Let’s just enjoy the glow while we can, right?

Now, onto the good stuff: Bakehouse pre-orders are officially live, there’s a Texas-sized chocolate chip cookie making waves, and a whole Cookie cookbook giveaway!

The Bakehouse Texas Is Coming Together!

Friends, it’s happening — The Bakehouse Texas is officially coming to life! The space is nearly ready (and yes, my parents have been put to work), and the new oven is in place fired up to bake. It’s been a labor of love, a lot of dust, and more than one “where does this cord go?” moment, but it’s happening.

✨ The November Bakehouse Bakery Box pre-sale is now open! ✨

This month’s box is filled with the cozy flavors of fall (and Thanksgiving inspired)! In each bakery box for the month of November will be: The Bakehouse Texas Chocolate Chip Cookie, Lemon Poppy Seed Kolaches, a large slice of Dad’s Perfect Sweet Potato Pie, and a Chai Spiced Apple Turnover. Pre-orders are limited (and required!) for this soft opening, and pickup details will be sent straight to your inbox after purchase.

If you can’t make it to Bellville this time, mark your calendar — December 20th and January 3rd pre-sale dates are coming soon!

The Bakehouse Texas Chocolate Chip Cookie

Friends, this cookie is no joke. The Texas Bakehouse Chocolate Chip Cookie is a big, thick, gooey, bakery-style masterpiece. Crisp edges, soft-melted center, and dramatic chocolate puddles. It’s my favorite cookie since Dad’s Browned Butter Cookie (and that’s saying something). Do yourself a favor and stash a batch of dough balls in the freezer - they bake up perfectly from frozen, and future you will be thrilled you thought ahead.

Let’s Talk COOKIES: an interview with cookbook author Vaughn Vreeland

I am so excited to bring you a chat with baking luminary Vaughn Vreeland - the writer, video‐series host, and recipe-developer behind the new Cookies: The Best Recipes for the Perfect Anytime Treat (from The New York Times Cooking). Vaughn hails from North Carolina, co-created “Cookie Week,” and has made countless cookie lovers’ dreams come true with his joyful, imaginative approach to baking.

• Let’s start with the origin story. What was the spark that made you think, Yep, this cookbook needs to exist?

  Back in December 2020, we decided to host a virtual cookie party on our YouTube channel called Cookie Week. It was really popular with our viewers and over the years it began to take on a life of its own. It was clear to us that cookies were a wonderful, joyous way to bring people together and get people excited about baking, so on the heels of Cookie Week’s success, “Cookies” the book was born.

• What’s the recipe in the book that people will come back to over and over again?

  To me, the brownie cookies are the go-to recipe. They are all the best parts of a brownie, no matter if you’re an edge or a center person, in a bite-sized cookie. They come together in under an hour and are super easy to personalize. I make them for all sorts of special occasions: for birthdays, I put sprinkles on them, and during the holidays, I add peppermint extract and crushed candy canes on top.

• Marry, shag, kill: buttercream frosting, whipped cream, jam.

  Ooh this is a tough one!! These are my Charlie’s Angels. I guess I’d kill whipped cream, just because it can sometimes give me a tummy ache. I’d shag jam because I’ve seen what it’s done to fruit and it’s incredibly versatile. I am gonna go ahead and marry buttercream because it’s sturdy and the glue that holds the cake together.

• What’s a cooking or baking hill you’re willing to die on?

  Well, I don’t sift flour but I do whisk it quite thoroughly. I think my hottest take, though, is that I’ve yet to have a cupcake that I’d eat again. Just give me a slice of cake!

• We’re going to a dinner party with a recipe from your book?

  Eric Kim’s gochujang caramel swirl cookies are beautiful, delicious, stress-free and a great conversation starter. I have brought those to a dinner party and the crowd went wild!

• What’s the most chaotic recipe in the book?

  Ooh, this is a good one! I think the malt chocolate and marshmallow sandwiches may be the most technical cookie in the book. There’s three different components, one of those being homemade marshmallow for sandwiching between the malty chocolate shortbread. They are also one of the tastiest cookies, in my opinion, and well worth it. Not too daunting if you have your ducks in a row and don’t work out of a tiny apartment kitchen like I do! Even then, they’re an absolute treat and very fun to make.

• What’s a kitchen task you secretly love that everyone else seems to dread?

  To be honest, their dread is valid. I’m a creature of efficiency and usually love a quick cookie that involves minimal clean-up, though I do love cleaning as I go. It makes the process so much more enjoyable! I also really like baking multiple things at once because it makes me feel like I’m on an episode of “Chopped” — I love biting off more than I can chew.

• What’s the most you recipe in this book?

  The most “Vaughn” cookie is definitely the salted butterscotch chocolate chunk cookie. It’s a gorgeous spin on the classic chocolate chip, but with deep amber toffee bits, brown butter and two kinds of chocolate. It’s complex but classic and approachable, just like me.

🍪 Cookies Cookbook Giveaway!

To celebrate Vaughn Vreeland’s brand-new cookbook Cookies: The Best Recipes for the Perfect Anytime Treat, we’re giving one lucky reader a copy!

💬 To enter: Comment below and answer this week’s question:
What’s your ultimate cookie mood?
Are you a late-night chocolate-chip person, a crisp-and-buttery shortbread lover, or a kitchen-sink oatmeal lover? (All of the above?)

(Open to U.S. residents only. Giveaway closes Friday, November 14h. Winner will be contacted via Substack message.)

See you next week, friends!

xo Joy